Police Raid Compassion Club

[kettal]

If the government made anti-alcohol ads the same way then I could see your point. After all, alcohol has ruined far more lives then pot ever could. But even then I'd be critical of the ads. Essentially they're nothing more than "drugs are bad mmkay". Trying to scare kids away from drugs doesn't work, honest education and getting rid of the stigma does. There's a reason that European countries, including the Netherlands, have fewer drug problems and lower drug use than North America.

[video=youtube;BFt46Kosl6o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFt46Kosl6o[/video]

You were saying something about the netherlands?

 

[TOareaFan]

They can make all the anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco ads they want but it all just makes them look very schizophrenic when given the hypocrisy and madness that is the War on Drugs.

But alcohol and tobacco are legal (restricted but legal) products.....all that it would take to end "the war on drugs" is for the free ctizens of this nation to elect a party who, as part of their platform, stated they were for the abolition of laws banning the use of "X, Y & Z"....it does not happen because despite what I have been hearing since the 1970s...the majority of people believe that certain drugs should be illegal....otherwhise some party would sweep the nation by promising to legalize this that and the other thing.

 

[TOareaFan]

You were saying something about the netherlands?

They are so much more progressive than us!!!!

 

[Peepers]

Or is it just possible that the people operating the place (or, even, one of their employees) had stretched the definition of who they could distribute toa little bit?

Even though medical marijuana is legal "compassion clubs" operate in a legal Grey area. Most jurisdictions turn a blind eye but for some reason the Toronto force decided to drop the hammer on them. They have charged the owner and employees with the serious charge of trafficking and in the process the police goons ruffed up the patrons who were legally entitled to possess marijuana. The conduct of the Toronto police force was absolutely despicable.

 

[MisterF]

You were saying something about the netherlands?

One commercial isn't going to convince me that the Netherlands doesn't take a more progressive approach to drugs than Canada. But even that commercial you showed actually mentions facts about alcohol. And it's aimed at parents, not teenagers. Big difference between that and the Conservatives' ads - I just watched one and it's basically telling high school kids that if they take pot they'll turn into monsters. It's laughable.

 

[TOareaFan]

Even though medical marijuana is legal "compassion clubs" operate in a legal Grey area.

Not really sure what that is.......does that mean that they are "technically illegal" but have just generally just been let go?

Most jurisdictions turn a blind eye but for some reason the Toronto force decided to drop the hammer on them.

Since Toronto also "turned the blind eye" for 14 years.......is it just not possible that something changed here? That, perhaps, they were pushing the envelope on what people would turn the blind eye too?

They have charged the owner and employees with the serious charge of trafficking

I guess only time and the courts can/will determine if those charges are appropriate.

 

[Peepers]

Not really sure what that is.......does that mean that they are "technically illegal" but have just generally just been let go?

This Toronto Star story probably explains it better than I can : http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cri...-marijuana-compassion-clubs-face-new-scrutiny

Yes only time will tell if the charges were appropriate. In similar cases the charges were dropped. There can be NO DOUBT that the manner in which the Police conducted this raid was deplorable and represents a crime in itself. I hope the cops are held accountable but I'm not holding my breath

 

[taal]

While I doubt anyone could possibly approve of the action the police took, particularly the force they used ... there may have been motives behind the raid we still don't understand.

Sure you can pass judgment on excessive force used but there could have been valid / legal reasons why the police decided to conduct the raid.

The article in the star does indicate they operate in gray zone ... I can easily imagine them stemming out and providing their services to others who are not legally entitled to it. In that case, the rational behind the raid was sound, and other then the force used, one can't condemn their actions.

In other words ... too early to judge folks ...

 

[js97]

What did you expect? The Conservatives are in power now and they want US style drug laws. Haven't you seen the anti-marijuana ads from the Feds lately? You can expect a lot more of this as long as Stephen Harper is PM.

Get your facts straight.

This was not a RCMP raid, it was a TPS one.

TPS is under the direction of Police Chief Blair, who is appointed by David Miller.

If anyone is to blame, it's the direction of upper brass.

The cops are just the grunts carrying out directives.

 

[gabe]

Toronto is a lot safer now that those pot smoking paraplegics are off the street! Busting sick people smoking pot without a license or "trafficking" is going to tie up the courts and waste taxpayers money I don't think they had guns or were dealing crack or child porn.

 

[toraerach]

But alcohol and tobacco are legal (restricted but legal) products.....all that it would take to end "the war on drugs" is for the free ctizens of this nation to elect a party who, as part of their platform, stated they were for the abolition of laws banning the use of "X, Y & Z"....it does not happen because despite what I have been hearing since the 1970s...the majority of people believe that certain drugs should be illegal....otherwhise some party would sweep the nation by promising to legalize this that and the other thing.

An Angus Reid poll conducted in May of 2008 found that 53% of Canadians support the legalization of marijuana. Even though the majority support legalization, it probably won't happen for a while, if at all, for a few reasons:
1) People have other priorities when heading to the polls that rank much higher. If the legalization was the only issue in a general election, maybe a party that supported it would win, but it rarely even comes up during campaigning. That said, as far as I know the Conservatives are really the only major party that is completely opposed to loosening up the rules a bit, and there are elements in all other parties that support complete legalization.
2) Even if 99.9% of Canadians supported legalizing marijuana, the threat of the American border grinding to a halt is a huge deterrent. This is, I believe, what stopped Chretien back in the day.
3) It isn't difficult to use marijuana right now. It's easy to find and, for anyone with a shred of intelligence, easy enough to hide. There is little social stigma attached to recreational use. The law is just really an inconvenience.

 

[doady]

Get your facts straight.

This was not a RCMP raid, it was a TPS one.

I never said it was an RCMP raid.

Get your facts straight.

TPS is under the direction of Police Chief Blair, who is appointed by David Miller.

If anyone is to blame, it's the direction of upper brass.

Right, because David Miller and the Police Chief are the ones that set Canada's drug policy.

The cops are just the grunts carrying out directives.

The Nazi soldiers were just grunts carrying out directives as well. That doesn't mean they can be absolved of all guilt.

Besides, cops don't always act based on directives. Just look at Rodney King and Robert Dziekanski.

 

[js97]

Well, this ends my conversation when you talk about nazis and rodney king...

 

[TOareaFan]

Toronto is a lot safer now that those pot smoking paraplegics are off the street! Busting sick people smoking pot without a license or "trafficking" is going to tie up the courts and waste taxpayers money I don't think they had guns or were dealing crack or child porn.

The weekest argument (IMO) for not enforcing any law is that it is a waste of money.......enforcing any/all laws costs money......if the cost of enforcement was the only measure of a law we wouldn't many laws.

If what you are saying is that the cost of enforcing this particular law is outweighing the societal benefits of the law itself...the answer is not to just not enforce it...it is to seek the appropriate approvals (elections/mandates/votes in parliament/plebesites) to change the law.

As it sits now, the sale and possession of pot is against the law and I expect that the police are obliged to act on complaints and enforce the law. Something changed here from the previous 14 years.......something that forced the police to act and, as I said earlier, only time and the courts will determine if the actions they took and the charges they laid are appropriate.

 

[GenerationW]

The Nazi soldiers were just grunts carrying out directives as well. That doesn't mean they can be absolved of all guilt.

For the most part, Nazi soldiers were absolved by the Allies after the war.